The Boy from the Metro
by milkduds100
Summary: CROSSOVER: Metro 2033 Ellie discovers something that changes her perception on reality. Under the Sewers of Jackson County she finds the shadow of a boy who can not speak English. Not only does she find an interesting friend but he could give her redemption for her failure to cure the infection. (Takes place right after Last of Us)
1. Chapter 1: Healing and Crying

**Description: **This was an interesting idea I had one day. I picked up Metro 2033 and started reading the book and was instantly hooked. I then started reading Last of Us stories and then this idea just kind of got stuck in my head.

I'm pretty sure this is the first Crossover between these 2 series and I've always loved originality so I thought why the hell not?

**IMPORTANT: **This will be a combination of both the book and the game. For example, the ghosts in the Metro tunnel where you meet Khan was never in the book. Actually, there were no supernatural events in the book. With the exception of a ghost story at the beginning of the book, there is no supernatural aspects. So it will combine elements from both stories. Additionally, I am altering Artyoms age to 17, with his journey beginning when he was 16.

**Summery: **

After a week Jackson County did not feel all that great to Ellie. It was a nice settlement but after everything she's been through she had difficulty socializing with others. One day she decides to head down into the old sewers underneath the town to do a bit of exploring and reflecting. What she finds defies all logic and understanding, a heavily armored shadow that can't even speak English. Ellie decides to speak to this strange specter and finds an odd kind of friend. What follows could give her the redemption she seeks after failing to cure the world with her own gift.

**Chapter 1**

**Healing and Crying**

Ellie looked in tragic awe at the rising sunset from the roof of one of the well maintained houses. It was beautiful in ways that her young mind could simply not process, especially in this trying time in her life. The mix of orange and reds gave an almost unearthly beauty to this overtaken and diseased world. The warmth that bathed her skin and giving it a crimson glow took away all of the chills from the cold spring night.

She has been here only a week so far and she found a strange difficulty to really do anything outside of sit around in silence. The house she sat on was her new home, one she shared with Joel and almost made her fantasize about living with a father in the world before the biological infection. A world where her only worries were boys and clothes; a world where she could take away all of her troubles with a day at a shopping mall. The stories of a mall always entertained her thoughts and she wished that she could one day experience the feeling, though it's doubtful one would open up for at least another couple generations.

Electricity was an interesting thing, one she never really had in the Boston Quarantine Zone. Electricity was somewhat rare for non-military personnel and considered more important than gold in this day and age. Then again, Ellie never really saw the point of gold, a nice looking thing to be sure but considered nothing but dead weight since it had no value for survival. The only people who still carried metals and trinkets like gold were people who kept old things for sentimental reasons.

They even had running water and for the first time Ellie even had the chance what a shower was. Of course, due to many reasons people were only allowed 1 minute of shower a week but it was something everyone looked forward to. Old herbs and plants provided scents and a clean feeling to a person and would mostly be used instead of a shower. A shower was seen more as a luxury than a necessity.

Food was plentiful as well, master cooks and chefs could take raw meat, some plants, vegetables, and water to turn a meal into something that matched the old days. Spices and flavoring was not hard if you had a keen eye for certain plants in the wilderness and vegetables were easy to grow. They could even make Tea, which from what Ellie knew was hot water with crushed up leaves poured in. It tasted amazing and she would savor every cup she had.

Ellie now lived in what most would consider paradise, yet there was something off. Something that prevented her from really enjoying the amazing things around her.

Everyone is supposed to earn their keep in some way, working in the farms, tending to animals, or helping to keep the County safe. Joel worked in manual labor, helping to build and repair anything that needed it. He said that he didn't mind it and he could go back to when he worked in carpentry from before the infection. It also gave him the chance to put down his gun; metaphorically of course since no one would even leave their beds without at least a pistol for protection.

Ellie however did nothing at the moment. Joel asked Tommy if she could have some time to herself to come to terms with everything that has been going on lately. Ellie neither cared nor did she feel bad about not working. Her mind was exhausted from everything and she only wanted to sit down or walk around until she could figure things out.

"Hey baby girl, I'm heading to the other side of town." Ellie heard Joel yell from down in the front yard. "Make sure you get some rest, ok?" He told her, knowing that she rarely sleeps these days.

Without looking at him Ellie nodded her head. Joel did not see her do it but he knew the silence was her acknowledgment.

By the time Ellie decided to get up the sun was now a quarter of the way through the sky, around 9 or 10 AM. She hopped down from the roof and decided to walk around.

The whole place was somewhat lively. People were working all around from building or repairing things to children playing in the street. There were even a few people her age yet she never really talked to any of them.

Many of the children were born here, anyone over 9 years old had come to the County after some time on the road. Most of the teenagers that were Ellies age didn't remember much outside of the walls of the County since most of them came here when they were little. Because of that Ellie didn't feel like talking to anyone who hadn't really seen the same thing she did. It felt awkward and she was very afraid to be seen as a freak in front of her peers.

Getting insulted or even attacked by hunters or older adults, like that bastard Bill, was something she could handle. Aside from Sam, Ellie never really met anyone else her age, except for Riley of course.

The memory of Riley and Sam were heavy on her mind and terrified her of ever forming another bond with anyone else. She didn't want to loose anyone else and if it wasn't for Joel she would have rather been alone at this point.

"Hey Ellie!" Ellie turned around and groaned a bit at the lively blond haired girl who ran up to her. Her name was Katie and she was a somewhat charming, yet annoying person. If she had met Katie a year ago they would have been fast friends but Ellie's distant mood had hampered any kind of friendship between them. Still, Ellie almost laughed at how persistent the girl was.

Katie arrived to Jackson County 9 years ago and was around since it was founded but she was very little at the time. She was only a year older than Ellie but she hasn't been outside the walls in all that time.

Actually, no one under the age of 18 was allowed out of the walls, even for a small trip. Children were trained regularly in how to defend themselves and to survive in the wild but that training never allowed them to head outside of the walls. Even Ellie was now forced to stay inside the walls, which a part of her hated yet felt safe at the same time.

"How have you been?" She asked. "have you been getting accustomed to the County?" Katie got in front of Ellie.

Ellie didn't really say much, she just kind of shrugged her shoulders and made a small grunt. Katie put a huge smile on her face and grabbed Ellie's hand.

"Come on, we're heading down to the creek to catch some fish, you'll be able to meet everyone else." She said as she ran with Ellie in tow, but Ellie tried halfheartedly to get free from her grasp.

The Creek was just a simple stream that ran through the center of the town. Most of the bait used by the adults for fishing came here and it was a fun activity for the kids. They even got days off from working if they caught enough bait since fish was one of the biggest commodities here and never stayed fresh for long.

"Hey guys, this is the new girl Ellie." She introduced Ellie to everyone else. Ellie meekly stood there like a deer in the head lights, not sure of what to do really. She never really had to talk to these many people who were the same age as she was.

"Um... Hi?" She put her arm up awkwardly.

"How you doing Ellie, I'm Joshua, or just Josh for short." A tall boy said, he was the oldest and was 18. He was the only one in the group who went outside of the wall and was part of the security for the County. Ellie later learned that he was Katie's boyfriend. Even Ellie had to admit he was very handsome and she lost her voice again, only this time for seeing a boy that was her age.

"Matt." Another kid said, who was 13 years old and wore glasses. Matt didn't have the best eyesight and since he didn't have prescription eyeglasses he wasn't always the best when it came to things like shooting or sports. He was somewhat skinny because of it but a good kid.

"The names Jennalyn, but everyone calls me Jenn." A black haired girl said and was Ellie's age. She was of Asian descent and Ellie thought she was very pretty, feeling somewhat jealous when she compared herself to her.

"I'm Steve and this is my younger sister Elisa." Another boy, 16 and had a more boyish look to him. Ellie found him to be as attractive as Josh but in a different way. His younger sister was 10 and she looked like a carbon copy of him, though she seemed completely unmarred by the horrors outside of these walls.

Come to think of it, all of them seemed that way. They seemed like a complete anomaly, as if they were characters in one of her comics and couldn't possibly exist.

"So, everyone got their traps ready?" Katie asked as they all picked up simple home made nets.

"Here Ellie, you can borrow my brothers." Jenn said and handed her one. "He went out on a hunting trip and won't be back for another day or two. i'm sure he won't mind." Ellie hesitantly took it and watched as everyone got around the Creek and started to fish.

Since this was her first time doing anything like this, Ellie decided to try and copy everyone else. It seemed simple enough, put the net in the water and scoop up some fish.

With a quick scoop she tried to get a fish that was right below her but it swam away right when the net connected with the water. All Ellie had accomplished was splashing herself in the face. Much to her embarrassment everyone laughed, though she knew it was not out of humiliation but friendly laughter.

"Here, let me show you." Steve said and gently grabbed Ellie's hand. Ellie blushed at the contact since this was the first time a boy her age even touched her. "You don't try to whack the things, you gently put the net in the stream and let the fish swim in." He lowered her hand so that the net went into the water. Ellie tried to focus on the task but could not get past the fact that a cute boy was so close to her.

As soon as a fish went into the net because of the stream Steve yanked her hand up and brought the fish with it.

Ellie froze in mild shock, for an instant she could feel her old self coming up to the surface and she did something that shocked everyone at the Creek due to her apparent shy nature.

"Yea motherfucker, I got you this time!" Ellie yelled triumphantly, old feelings of innocents and rebellious speech coming back to her. However this feeling faded the moment she saw everyone's shocked face. "Um... sorry?" Ellie tried, hoping she didn't do anything stupid. Katie was the first to break the silence.

"Hell yea girl, I knew there was something under there! High five." She held up her hand at Ellie.

Ellie almost burst in tears. Just now has the gravity of the situation hit her. She's safe, surrounded by future friends and in a society that wants to better her. She hated not being allowed to leave the walls but rejoiced in the thought that the people did so to keep her safe and not pen her in.

Casting everything else away, Ellie gave Katie a high five and did so for everyone.

"What did I tell you Ellie." Steve said, slightly proud of himself but also happy Ellie was breaking out of her shell.

"That was pretty sweet, I haven't had that much fun since the truck ride with Joel." Ellie laughed.

"See girl, I told you that we were fun to hang with." Katie said.

"Yea Ellie, you'll love it here." Jenn said.

"It's not the best sometimes but life here is better than anywhere else." Matt reinforced.

For the next hour Ellie sat with everyone in content silence, making sure that the bucket full of minnows didn't fall over. Everyone talked and joked about the things that have happened all week, all the latest gossip and rumors that was going around the County. Ellie stayed somewhat quiet but listened to the stories and conversations with complete interest.

"So Ellie, where are you from?" Elisa asked, which sparked everyone's curiosity.

Ellie was hesitant to say really, she didn't want anyone to know how rough she had it so no one thought she was a freak but she didn't want to keep secrets either. They noticed her hesitation.

"You don't have to if you don't want to Ellie." Josh said.

"Yea." Katie added. "Take your time and tell us when you're ready." She assured her new friend.

"Well..." Ellie began. "I grew up in the Boston Quarantine, right before me and Joel came here."

"Wow, i heard the were rough." Matt said. Ellie shrugged.

"Why do you call your dad by his name?" Steve asked. "You guys not on good terms?" Ellie shook her head.

"He's not my dad." She said.

"Who is he then?" Elisa asked.

"He's actually a smuggler who got me out of the Quarantine Zone. He was a complete asshole at first but he's a lot nicer under that hard ass exterior." Ellie laughed a bit.

"A smuggler? That's so bad ass." Katie commented with a slight blush. "Not to mention hot." She giggled, making Ellie rear back slightly with disgust.

"Hey... I'm right here!" Josh yelled in a jokingly jealous tone and a bit of a chuckle at the end.

"Please, upstanding handsome men with honor are so pre-infection. These days it's all about rogues and rule breakers." She joked, punching Josh in the chest lightly, who made a pained face jokingly.

"So Joel is Tommy's brother, right?" Jenn asked a bit randomly.

"Yea, though they haven't been on good terms from time to time." Ellie said honestly, glad that they were no longer talking about her.

The rest of the day went by and all the teens were just having a good time. Ellie managed to shed off some of her depressive exterior and open up a bit more. She was secretly happy that Katie decided to drag her out here. Slowly, layer by layer the older Ellie that began the journey out west was resurfacing. Before the death of Sam, the monster David that tried to kill her, and the hopeless feeling of failure that the Fireflies were unable to make a vaccine, before all the pain and suffering Ellie was coming back to her normal self.

"Well, it's almost sunset and curfew will be soon." Katie said, pretty much dismissing everyone. She was the oldest girl and was seen as kind of the leader of the group, while Josh was seen as the protector. It reminded her a lot of Tommy and Maria.

"Man." Ellie whined. "I hate curfew." Everyone voiced their agreement. The curfew was in place only for children since the people wanted to protect them from any threats. During the day when there were people around and day light the kids were considered safe but at night when you lack those two things, no one wants to risk a Clicker or Hunter that somehow sneaked or wandered in here to get a kid that was alone at night. It was vastly different from the Quarantine, which had curfews to make sure no one did anything against the soldiers. Of course the older kids would regularly break curfew... they were kids after all and Ellie knew that soon she would be just as rebellious again.

After saying her goodbyes Ellie went back home where Joel was sitting on the front porch and playing a guitar that he managed to find. Ellie was glad that Joel was healing after all the years of guilt and pain that he went through. Ellie almost missed the hard ass that he was but was immensely glad that he was finally moving on from his loss. Ellie didn't fully realize just how much she saved Joel's soul with just her presence and existence.

When Joel looked at Ellie he smiled a bit, glad to see here back and safe. It was subtle though, after all this was still Joel, a guy that doesn't have soft moments often.

With the connections she made with the group of teens Ellie couldn't hold it in anymore. Joel raised an eyebrow as he saw her eyes water up and stood up to see what was wrong.

In a moment Ellie ran as fast as she could and crashed into Joel, slightly hurting the older man from the impact and making him stumble back slightly. Taken off guard by the action Joel froze slightly, trying to figure out what brought this about and see if she needed comforting. his answer was given as Ellie began sobbing uncontrollably into his flannel shirt. With the care of a father he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, even as her tears began to stain the material of his shirt.

"It's ok baby girl." He whispered sweetly. At first he believed these were tears of sorrow, but he soon realized that he was very wrong.

Her emotions were buried deep down for God knows how long, all of that anger, hatred, and sorrow finally burst to the surface. But these were not tears of agony, far from it in fact. Ellie now realizes that this is a new beginning for here, that now she can live a normal life surrounded by people who love and care for her. The relief and happiness contrasted so much with the bottled up pain and fear that the only way she could cope was to cry in the arms of the person she cares for most.

"Joel." She whispered through her sobs. She wanted so desperately to say something. Anything. She wanted to tell Joel how much she grew to love him, how much she sees him as her father, how happy she is, and how safe she feels here. She felt that these thoughts must be formed into words but what she didn't realize was that her sobbing told Joel everything he needed to know. He knew every thought in her head while she balled out her feelings, projecting he inner most thoughts to the world in the same way that her tears are expelled from here eyes in rivers.

Soon Ellie went limp in Joel's arms; all that crying and emotional release made her exhausted and sleep deprived body collapse on itself. She was snoozing peacefully in Joel's embrace and she wasn't waking up anytime soon; not that Joel would be cruel enough to deprive her of this much needed rest.

Joel stood there for a moment, flashbacks of Sarah sleeping peacefully in his arms brought back feelings of pain but it was balanced out by feelings of paternal instincts. He loved Ellie as much as he loved Sarah.

Joel sadly realized how pathetic he was, he knew that the reason he was so close to Ellie was because of how he felt for his lost daughter. It made him realize just how old and alone he really was.

Pushing those thoughts aside Joel picked Ellie up and carried her off to bed. With care he had not shown since that last night with Sarah, he laid Ellie in her bed and placed the covers over her body, not bothering to risk waking her by taking off her shoes and socks.

Joel gently rubbed Ellie's head, bringing back all the memories of the care he would show his own daughter and bent down to kiss Ellie's forehead.

"Good night baby girl." He said happily and walked out of the room. He shut out the lights and left Ellie to sleep.

Instead of going to his own bed Joel sat down on the sofa in the main living room. The day of manual work exhausted him and the thoughts of how pathetic he felt resurfaced again. The guilt of lying to Ellie about the Fireflies made this feeling even worst and the thought that there could have been a vaccine created made him feel like the devil incarnate.

Joel thought to himself about what he would have done if he gave Ellie away at the capital building. If he knew her fate back then would he have even cared that he would have sent this young girl to her death?

To be honest, Joel really did not care. Ellie means more to him now and as long as she lives he doesn't give a damn about how he feels.

Joel leaned back in the sofa and knew that he would not be able to sleep tonight, the weight of his guilt was too powerful to let him have this moment of relief. With a heavy and tired sigh the old man leaned back and stared at the ceiling, his mind going over the most recent events over and over again without relief.

* * *

><p>And there we go, that's chapter 1. I personally really liked how this turned out.<p>

Please review and if you have suggestions I am open for them (Though I can't garentee I will use them). Reviews help me to make better stories and help to motivate me more and more with the feedback I get.

good or bad anything is acceptable, as long as it's not intentionally insulting.


	2. Chapter 2: We're Sneaking Out

**Chapter 2**

**We're Sneaking Out**

The morning sun slammed into Ellie's eyes with little mercy. Her head was slightly light from the running emotions the night before, it felt even worst than when she was hit in the head by some asshole hunter.

Pulling herself from the warm covers, Ellie realized they were slightly wet from her own perspiration since she slept fully clothed. Normally Ellie would sleep in her pants and socks since she was always on the move. Even in Boston she had to be ready incase soldiers busted down her door. Though these days the heat would get to the point where she would sleep in her boxers.

It never occurred to her until recently, but from what Katie had told her, girls typically wore panties and boys would wear boxers or briefs. Katie said her parents told her that it was frowned upon back then. Not that anyone cared now... for obvious reasons.

Ellie noticed that the house was empty, Joel was nowhere to be found. Judging by the position of the sun she guessed it was around noon so Joel was probably working right now.

Ellie noticed a sandwich with bread grown in the County, laying on the table with a simple animal skin as a makeshift table mat. Inside was some Venison slices of meat as well as thick cheese made from one of the cows on the farm. It looked very good and Ellie jumped at it like Bill on a Sunday night with a nude magazine.

Ellie chuckled as she wished she could see that dicks face when he realizes she stole his magazine. She could just imagine him sharpening his knife while singing a bad country song about him getting her.

Then Ellie went back to the pictures on the magazine when she was in the car. They were interesting. Ellie never saw a naked man before but she was not exposed to the ideas of cooties or whatever it is the old world talked about. To her, it was like looking at a weird animal.

After finishing the sandwich and downing her cup of water, which was slightly musky from being pulled from the river though still clear enough to drink, Ellie got up and headed over to Tommy's place. Time to put herself to work.

* * *

><p>Tommy was busy going over a few things but Ellie was not deterred. It's not really that she was insensitive about a busy person, she just never learned proper manners.<p>

"How you doin little lady." Tommy greeted with his slight southern accent. Ellie always liked him and Maria. Sure she didn't want him to take her to Salt-Lake City, but he was still a cool guy.

"I was looking to making myself useful." Ellie said, her voice was still not as confident sounding as before the trip with Joel, but it did have more life in it.

"No problem kid." Tommy smiled in a way that Joel did. It was strange, Ellie rarely saw Joel smile or do anything other than brood, but she did see it occasionally. But to see it so often on an unfamiliar face was unsettling.

"I'm turning fifteen in two more weeks, can I get called something other than kid?" Hey, she was still a girl. Girls want to be seen as women, especially at this age. She is a full grown woman and should be treated like one, at least in her own mind as Tommy mentally reminded himself.

"Of course you are." Tommy chuckled at her ironic childishness. "In that case I'll call you squirt." He smiled.

Ellie bit her lip since she couldn't admit that it was an even worst name than kid.

"So... what kind of stuff do you need me to do?" She asked, hoping she wouldn't have to do anything annoying.

"We have a lot actually..." Tommy said as he grabbed a piece of paper with some of the jobs they needed people for. "Cook?" He asked as he read the first one.

"I'm sure you like the County to _not_ be on fire." Ellie said with a bit of sarcasm. She can cook a rabbit on a fire but forget about the complex stuff they do. Tommy just chuckled at the reply. Somehow he felt that if Sarah was a bit more confrontational she would be exactly like Ellie; but he stopped that train of though since it only brought bad memories.

"Ok than... how about Carpentry?" Tommy asked, thinking he could put her with Joel.

To answer him Ellie flexed her arms, which although slightly toned from a harsh life, couldn't really do anything to strenuous. She was a young girl and hated the idea of doing hard work.

"You sure Joel is not your father?" He asked with a slight laugh. Ellie made a face at the though. "Cleaning crew?" He asked.

"As much as I like a bit of grime on my face, I think I'll pass on diving in a bunch of dirt." Tommy had a feeling she would be a handful. Running away a few months ago was understandable, she was hurt; but now he realized she is a full blow, rebellious, troublemaker.

"You like horses right?" Ellie nodded. "How about stable duty, we have needed another helping hand since we caught a few more wild broncos. They're tough sons of bitches but all they need is a calm hand." He knew the answer when he saw Ellie's eyes light up. She loved horses and would jump at the chance, although Tommy saw a flash of sorrow in her eyes but ignored it.

"That would be awesome, when do I start?" she asked with a hopeful voice.

"Right now if you want, they're getting ready to take Scarlet for a little test run, see if she's broken in yet." Tommy said.

In mere seconds Ellie got the location and rushed faster than a horse. Tommy chuckled a bit at the comparison, he was sure that she would love Scarlet.

* * *

><p>"That is one big horse."Ellie said to herself as she looked at the massive red horse that has a newly fitted brown saddle on its back.<p>

"Her name is Scarlet." Ellie turned around and saw the hyper blond from yesterday. Katie had on loose fitted jeans, a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a simple rawhide hat. She looked very pretty and Ellie couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious around her.

Some parts of Katie's clothes were ripped and she had a healthy layer of dirt and grime on her. These days there is no such thing as clean, everyone had some dirt on them and there was a level considered healthy these days.

"Big motherfucker, isn't he?" Ellie rhetorically asked.

"Yea, normally they don't get this big but there are always exceptions. I think my dad said it had something to do with jeans, though why a horse would need jeans is beyond me." Ellie agreed.

"Hehe, I don't think any jeans would be able to fit on him." She laughed at her own bad joke. She would have to ask Joel later what jeans were. Ellie was bright enough to know it couldn't be literal jeans.

"So what are you doing here?" Katie asked.

"Tommy sent me here to help out, apparently this is my job now." Ellie said, glad that her new friend would be with her. Katie squealed an hugged Ellie.

"That's awesome, we're going to have so much fun together." She said enthusiastically.

Ellie walked up to the horse, anxiously anticipating the moment when she could ride a horse again. Since Joel was impaled she never had a chance to ride one just for fun, either in a rush to get supplies or trying to run from David's little fucks.

"Calm down boy." Ellie said easily, slowly reaching out her hand to pet the horse.

"Hold on girl, you don't think you're taking Scarlet out for a ride, do you?" Katie asked.

"Well, yea. I was hoping to ride him." Ellie said with a bit of a temper, not wanting to be denied this opportunity.

"Scarlet is a new one, still in training. An amateur would likely get killed trying to handle her... by the way it's a her, not a him." Katie said.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Ellie asked.

"Shit duty." Katie smiled sadistically.

And what a sadist she was, instead of riding the strong and majestic horse, Ellie was shoveling the horse shit from the barn. As it turns out it's a great fertilizer for farming, something Ellie really wished she didn't learn.

The smell was awful and she really regretted picking this job. Maybe next time she'll switch to cook so she can get her revenge and burn down the County. Ellie smiled with a playfully sadistic look as she imagined getting revenge for this crappy treatment.

Katie was handling the newly broken horse. Occasionally Scarlet would buck and get a bit upset but Katie would get her in line with expert handling. Ellie was amazed at the fluidity that she handled herself and just how skilled her new friend was.

There were moments when it looked like Katie was about to fall off or lose control but with a cool and precise look she managed to get the horse back under control. It almost looked like she was born to do this.

After sometime of work Katie came back with the horse being drawn from her reigns.

"Sorry, I know shit duty really sucks but it's always reserved for the new guys, not to mention a horse like Scarlet is too advanced for someone who's inexperienced." Katie said honestly.

"Hey, I happen to be very good at riding a horse." Ellie defended with a pout.

"I have no doubt about that." Katie answered. "But this is a large and aggressive horse. One mistake and they'll be digging you out of an imprint in the ground. Believe me I've broken a few bones doing this, and I've been handling horses since I got here."

As much as Ellie wanted to protest, she knew it was true. As rebellious as she is she is actually much more mature than most people give her credit for.

Katie on the other hand, taking a look at her new friends sour face, she decided that she would give Ellie a small reward for her first day on the job.

"Tell you what, you can ride browny. He's a calm horse but he is very fast." Katie actually laughed when she saw Ellie's face.

"Hell ya, that's something I can get behind." Ellie said with excitement.

"We're also going to meet the gang on the other side of the field, we'll have some fun riding around then head up there." Ellie nodded in approval.

Ellie got on top of Browny, who was named so because of his chocolate like coat of hair; not like Ellie ever had chocolate; and started to gallop around the field.

Katie got on a gray horse and followed her around, giving the occasional pointers and telling her how to properly ride a horse. Ellie took to it like a fish in the water. She managed to move with such grace and elegance that she rivaled Katie at her best; at least in her own mind.

Ellie began pretending that she was a cowgirl in one of the old books she read. She made her hand into a pistol shape and pretended to fire at any bad guys. Katie joined in as well, pretending that they were a posse trying to take out bandits and lawbreakers.

Speaking of which, they took her fucking guns. Kids weren't allowed to have guns because of maturity reasons. Since they were always within the compound they were considered safe enough to not need a gun. It was also because the adults believed they weren't mature enough to handle the weapons. Fucking bastards.

Oh well, she was used to that treatment thanks in no small part to Joel back when he was a jerk.

"Alright Ellie." Katie said. "It's almost twilight so we should head over to see everyone, we have something big planned for tomorrow." She smiled mischievously.

"Why do I have a good feeling about this?" Ellie matched the smile, knowing exactly what that look meant.

* * *

><p>They crossed the field and met up with the whole gang, all of who were playing a game of catch... with a rock. Well, the boys were playing while the girls sat around and gossiped.<p>

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Katie waved to the group.

"You know, just rocking." Josh said, then started laughing.

"Did I miss something?" Ellie asked.

"Josh here likes puns." Katie said, and regretted it right after saying it when she saw Ellie's look.

"Really?" She exclaimed. "Hold up, I got some good ones." Ellie pulled out a little book from her back pocket, a book of puns.

"Oh dear God." Katie face palmed.

"Let's hear one." Jenn asked.

"Yea, we could all use a good laugh." Matt said as well.

"Screw you guys." Katie said. "I'm going to get read my book." Katie walked under a tree, sat down, and began to read her own book. Ellie, not being deterred at all, began with her jokes.

"Ok, first one." Ellie said. "I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest." She said but didn't laugh.

"What's a banker?" Steve asked.

"You got me." Ellie answered. "Ok that was a bust, next one..." She flipped some pages to see if one caught her eye. "Need an Arc to save two of every animal? I Noah guy." She said again, but no one laughed.

"I get it." Katie said from her tree with a bored tone.

"You do?" Ellie asked.

"Noah is a biblical figure in the Hebrew Bible, God commanded him to gather two of every animal, one male and one female, onto an Arc." She said nonchalantly.

"I'm compelled to ask why?" Ellie asked, never actually reading the Bible, she knew nothing of it.

"Mankind became corrupt and evil, God felt great anger and sorrow for what his creation had become he flooded the world for 40 days and 40 nights. Noah and his family proved to be good people so he spared them by commanding them to build an Arc, a large ship. He had them take two of every animal to repopulate the Earth." She said, not taking her eyes off of her book, which Ellie just noticed was the Bible.

"I see." Elisa said. "Think that's what we have now?"

"I can't imagine people being anymore full of evil than today." Ellie answered, thinking back to her time in the wilderness. "Anyway, next one." She looked through some more pages. "The roundest knight in king Authors round table is Sir Cumference." Once again no one understood the joke.

"Circumference..." Katie began in a bored tone again. "Is the length of the edge of a circle. Roundest, Sir Cumference." They all pieced it together.

"Man, I really wish that I lived back then so I could get these puns." Ellie said with a slightly depressed face.

"Right..." Katie said with a joking smile. "Forget the safe environment, the well made food, and the abundance of clean stuff... we need puns." She put her book down and came up to the group.

"Yea, they're important." Josh said with mock seriousness.

"So, we going to tell Ellie yet?" Jenn asked.

"Tell me what?" Ellie asked curiously.

Everyone kicked the poor girl out of the group for a moment and began whispering among themselves. Ellie pouted at not being a part of it but kept her mouth shut for the moment while they debated. She never had a group of friends like this so she could never imagine what they were talking about.

Finally, as the minutes ticked by they came back up to her and looked at her seriously.

"Ok Ellie, what we say, whether you do it or not, must never leave the group." Matt said as he adjusted his poorly fitted glasses.

"If you do you will be executed by a firing squad." Steve threatened.

"No you idiot, we'd never do that." Elisa smacked her brother in the back of the head.

"Hey, that's how they do it in the old war movies." He countered while rubbing his sore head.

"Not relevant guys." Katie said. Ellie began tapping her feet as she waited for them to tel her.

"So..." Ellie began. "Anyone going to let me in?" She asked impatiently.

"Swear that this never leaves the group." Jenn forced.

"I swear on my Comic book collection." Ellie assured.

"You have comics?" Mat asked. "What kind? I have "Legend of the Red Ship", what do you have?" Katie shushed him

"Not now nerd boy." She chastised.

"It's geek." He defended.

"You don't even know what those are." Jenn replied.

"My dad used to say that." Mat countered as he wiped his glasses, getting the dirt and fog off of them

"Would you guys just tell me!" Ellie screeched, her patience running thin.

"We're sneaking out to see the city, those old ruins would be a great place to explore." Katie finally said. She saw Ellie's raised eyebrow and was about to reassure her.

"Don't worry though Ellie." Jenn beat her to it. "We know you might be afraid to go back out or get in trouble so as long as you keep it a secret we won't force you." She said.

Truth is, Ellie was thrilled. Sure, the memories of before were still heavy on her mind but after everything she has been through she needed to get back out there. As nice as the County was, she still had the heart and soul of an adventurer. She will make the County her home but a few little adventures won't be too bad.

"Please." Ellie said. "I've been itching for another little quest. It will be good to stretch my legs for a bit. When are we going?" To everyones surprise Ellie was willing to go.

Truth be told, with how shy Ellie was and how fragile she initially seemed they all thought she was pretty timid. The never imagined that she would be so willing to risk getting hurt or in trouble just to break a few rules.

"To the edge of the Universe and beyond. Endure and survive." Matt said, making everyone else shake their heads at his behavior.

"Hell yea!" Ellie exclaimed. "For the protection of the Galaxy we will travel he stars and face evil in the darkest corner of the cosmos." Ellie continued the phrase from the comic.

"Not you too!" Katie whined, not believing that a girl could possibly like that annoying crap.

"In the name of the confederation we will defend peace and justice for all species." Matt put his hands into the shape of a gun and stood with his back to Ellie.

"With courage and valor we will never surrender to the forces of the... hey!" Before she could repeat the gesture Katie grabbed Ellie by the ear and started to lightly drag her away.

"I'm saving you before you end up like... 'them'." Katie playfully said while shuddering at the thought of her friends being... well, them. Jenn and Elisa broke off from the boys as well and followed Katie who was still dragging a struggling Ellie.

"We'll meet you guys at the spot tomorrow night." Jenn called out as they walked away. The three boys looked at each and shrugged.

"What is wrong with me ending up like them?" Ellie asked.

"Have you ever hung out with other girls?" Katie asked.

"Only one." Ellie answered honestly.

"Well, it's time to make sure you become a girl. Trust me you do not want to be a tomboy or no guy would ever date you." Jenn said.

"We're going to have a girls night out." Elisa said enthusiastically. Ellie shuddered as she could only imagine what kind of horrible tortures awaited her. She'd rather get stuck in Bills basement red handed for stealing than suffer here.

* * *

><p>"What the hell is that on your face?" Joel asked as Ellie walked through the door. Her lips had more of a reddish tint while her skin seemed to have more gloss than normal.<p>

"Well, the girls told me about makeup and made me try it out." Ellie said defensively.

"Where the hell did you get makeup?" Joel asked.

"You know, oils and stuff for skin and they used grapes for the lips. How does it look?" Ellie blushed a bit, hoping she didn't look to bad.

Joel actually laughed a bit. The County never really cared for pre-infection makeup but a few nature buffs managed to make simple cosmetics from the local plants and fruits. It was a very simple solution and was about the best a woman could get these days in terms of cosmetic appeal.

Truthfully, Ellie did look very beautiful and even more mature. The more natural makeup was not nearly as defined as production ones and made her look healthier as opposed to a bad barbie doll. The grapes managed to make her lips look red naturally instead of smeared paste like contemporary lipstick. Her skin had a natural shine to it that made it look like she was sweating a bit but did not have any of the drops and streaks that came with sweating.

Joel smiled as Ellie got to act a bit like a girl now and it almost reminded him of Sarah. Sarah was never even close to a tomboy. She was a girl through and through, and it annoyed Joel that he had to constantly buy makeup for her.

"You look like a grownup baby girl." Joel smiled warmly.

"Hey." Ellie growled with a pout on her face. "I am turning 15 soon. Seriously I'm practically an adult already." She said but did smile a bit after.

She never had a father in her life, but Joel was the closest she could ever get. She wanted to be seen not as his baby girl anymore but as a full fledged woman. She wanted him to acknowledge her growth and stop treating her like a child.

Ellie just realized what she was thinking. After one year she felt as if she knew Joel her whole life. Some days she actually tricked herself into believing that he was in her life the whole time. Sometimes she would dream about when she was still a child and Joel was there holding her like a father would. Ellie always loved those dreams and the love she feels for Joel goes far beyond just the year of pain and suffering that they went through.

"By the way." Ellie said. "Tomorrow night I'm going over to my friends house, is that ok? We'll just have a little sleep over." She looked at him with puppy dog eyes, hoping to win his heart.

"Will there be boys there?" Joel asked suspiciously. Even after the end of the world teenagers were still teenagers. Without actual protection like condoms or the pill, he didn't want to risk Ellie getting pregnant this young.

Ellie didn't respond right away. She had no idea why it was a problem there would be boys. Granted, her generation wasn't exactly innocent but they didn't have nearly the knowledge of sex or how relationships worked like the older ones. She knew a bit about it but not enough to consider why it would be relevant if there were boys or not.

"Um... no?" Ellie tried, thinking that with the way Joel asked maybe it would be bad if boys where there.

As expected, Joel wasn't very convinced. The hesitation and tone of her answer told him more than he wanted to know. He was a bit torn since he didn't want to deprive her of her friends but also didn't want to have her see a bunch of boys. Joel knew exactly what teenage boys were like, which is why he was such a young father.

"Listen, Ellie." Joel began awkwardly.

"Joel?" Ellie questioned with a bit of hesitation.

"You see..." Joel tried to find the right words. He never even said this to Sarah because she was still somewhat young. "Teenage boys tend to be a bit... troublesome for a girl of your age." Ellie knew exactly what he was talking about now.

"Um... I'm not feeling so well... so I'm going to bed. Night Joel." Ellie ran upstairs as if she was getting chased by a horde of infected.

Joel laughed to himself, knowing he was probably not so good with giving the "Talk". It's something ever father fears doing and every girl is embarrassed to hear.

Ellie slept quietly in her clothes, only her shoes and socks off. Her mind was still active enough to think about the next night. She had her alibi and by keeping it vague about who's house she was going to it ensured she would be safe for at least the afternoon after they left.

The girls told her the plan that they all agreed to tell everyone that they would stay at Steve's house since only he and his sister lived there. Tomorrow was Saturday and since most of the people in the County were Christians it was not suspicious if they would take off work on Sunday and stay home. That would give them plenty of time to explore the City and get home before anyone knew they were gone.

With a smile on her face she anxiously awaited the next night so she could do what most teenagers did, sneak out and have a fun time.

* * *

><p>Well, that's Chapter 2. I appreciate the reviews.<p>

Please review, thank you.


	3. Chapter 3: The Shadow in the Subway

**Chapter 3**

**The Shadow in the Subway**

Ellie was exited as the night finally came for their daring escape from the County and into a new adventure. Ellie knew she was still somewhat scared of what could be out there but she had an unsatisfying itch to get out into the world again. She needed to get out of the confines of the walls that kept her safe and feel the heart stopping adrenalin coursing through her body again. Perhaps she was going crazy or has become addicted to the thrill of the destroyed world, but either way she knew that her reality existed outside of the walls.

That's not to say she doesn't want to stay at the County, in fact the very idea of having a home to return to after a long week of time in the wilds obsessed her to the point of daydreaming and fantasies. Balancing the thrill of survival with the safety and loving support of a family and home was something her matured mind needed, much like an old crack junky. Though admittedly Ellie had no idea what crack was outside of the obvious cracks in the ground, though she was not stupid enough to think that was what it was.

"Ok, Matt did you get the food?" Katie asked the skinny youth.

"Yea, it's enough to last us a few days in case the worst happens." He once again had to adjust his eyeglasses because of the crouched position they were all in.

"Josh, you got the weapons... right?" Katie asked her boyfriend. Said boyfriend nodded his head and opened a duffle-bag full of various weapons.

The weapons were simple, mostly melee weapons such as bats or pipes but they looked much cleaner and stronger than the rotted pieces of shit Joel and her often found. It was somewhat refreshing to see a weapon that looked like it could handle a bit of abuse before breaking, also count into the fact that they were all still young and so it will be harder for their young muscles to get rough strength in a swing to cause severe damage to the weapon.

There were also 3 guns, a .357 revolver with 3 rounds, a simple bolt action Rifle with a scope and 5 rounds, and finally a strange Rifle that Ellie never saw before. It had a simple design with a wooden stock and a large magazine, clip thing (Like she knew the difference) that reminded her of a banana. It looked like those black guns the Fireflies and Military used, the M16s but it looked a lot more simple and more rugged than the plastic and aluminum weapons. It had only 1 magazine with 10 rounds. Not only that Ellie brought the Bow and 5 arrows that Joel got from the Dick's town.

Josh managed to sneak them out of the armory and they were only a last resort kind of thing. They did not want to explain to anyone why there was ammunition missing. These days ammo is always taken into stock and everyone is required to report how many rounds they use to the best of their knowledge. If they didn't get the guns back by tomorrow night they would know there was some missing, never mind if they lost them.

"And Jenn, you got the extra clothes and supplies." Katie finished off, knowing her friend already had the necessary equipment.

All in all, if they needed to ration everything they could last for a week, longer if they decided to hunt and scavenge for food. Ellie was impressed with how well thought out this was. Survival was more important than trouble in their minds and they would rather explain missing equipment than have their dead corpses do the talking for them.

"The city is not too far from here. We'll go in through the Sewers that runs under the town which will lead us to the Subway tunnels." Katie explained.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Jenn asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"Yea." She replied. "We have Josh here, remember?" She motioned to her boyfriend.

"No offense Katie..." Matt began as he wiped some more dust off of his glasses. "But Josh won't do much if we get caught up by a group of Clickers." He voiced his reason.

"Don't worry Matt." Josh assured him. "I use brains, not muscle. We'll just leave the smallest and weakest boy as bait." He joked casually.

"Why boy?" Matt asked in mock offense.

"We can't lose the girls." Steven said and flashed a flirting grin at Jenn and Ellie. Jenn rolled her eyes and Ellie playfully flipped him off. "Could you imagine a settlement with less girls?" He said playfully.

"You're not serious about Josh..." Ellie wondered. "Right?" Katie covered her mouth as she giggled.

"Occasionally patrols go down there to secure the area. They just did a sweep so as long as we stay on the patrol path we'll be fine." She assured her new friend. "Josh was on the most recent patrol so he knows the way that's safe." Once again Ellie was surprised how well they planned this out.

"So what about any future patrols?" Ellie asked.

"They only patrol it once every 3 days so as long as we're back here by then they won't know we were there." Josh said. "Because of the smell it's mainly a punishment job than an actual one." Josh laughed.

"What did you do?" Ellie asked.

"My dad caught us in bed together." Katie laughed and Ellie did as well. "My dad is good friends with the head of the security so... Josh didn't get off easy." She said.

"Oh I'm sure he 'got off'." Steven joked. Ellie didn't quite understand what he meant. She reasoned they probably had sex but because of her limited interactions with kids her age she didn't understand some of the things they said. What does 'get off' even mean?

"We honestly didn't do anything." Katie defended. "We were just cuddling because it got cold at night." She said truthfully. "My parents did teach me to have some self respect you know." She blushed a bit from embarrassment.

"Well, no time to waste."Ellie said cheerfully. "Time for a bit of exploring." They all nodded and began their trek down the manhole.

Ellie felt amazing the past few days. She had completely forgotten about everything, the trauma she suffered on their journey west, while not gone, felt very numbing. It wasn't the bad kind of numbing either; it was the kind of numbing where all she felt were positive feeling and emotions. She had no doubts or fears outside of the obvious caution of leaving the County.

You may also be wondering, why after so many bad experiences is she so excited about leaving and going back out into the dangerous world?

In her own words... 'you can't deny that view'. Sure, it was tough but the good moments made it all worth it. The thrill of discovery, the high of exploring places like a tomb raiding heroine in one of her comics, it simply overpowered any fear or trauma that held her back.

Though she felt as if she would spend the rest of her life in Jackson County, she couldn't stay cooped up forever. She needed the fresh air of the wilds and the thrills of the adventure. As dangerous and life threatening as it was, she had the heart and soul of an explorer.

"Damn, I forgot how much this place smells." Ellie mumbled.

Ellie took the lead in the tunnel because she had her Bow and Arrow which was great for stealth, plus she was the most experienced with the dangers of the outside. Right behind her was Josh who being the largest and strongest of the group would defend the front in case they were attacked. He had the Assault Rifle which he called his 'Russian Pop Gun' and he could also physically take anything that was thrown that them.

Josh, who worked with the security had the most training and knowledge about survival compared to all of them. Ellie did have experience but she never had traditional combat training from the few men in the County who were former Military guys. The old Military, not the power junkies in the quarantine zones. Josh even had some combat experience, he dealt with hunters on two occasions and fought Clickers a few times as well.

Behind him was Katie, who had the .357 since she was also trained in its use though she never actually used it in a fight before, for obvious reasons. Jenn and Elisa were behind her as well. Since the girls were the physically weakest they were protected well. Even though, aside from Elisa, Ellie was the weakest out of all of them. Her young body may have had a harsh journey but it was still to young to gain any kind of strength. Not to mention since she was also a girl she could never hope to physically match the strength of the boys since most of them had conditioning routines.

Everyone was supposed to be conditioned and received physical training. Even the people who were disabled for one reason or another had to train in some way. This way they would have the ability to fight off or run away from any threat.

The ones who took up the rear were Matt and Steve, Steve who had the Rifle because he was the best shot aside from Josh. The rest had melee weapons since their skills were average and in Matts case, had bad eye sight.

Ellie's flashlight lit the way with a wide enough view to see the whole tunnel. The water had long since drained away without the constant renewal of waste and was pretty dry aside from some wet spots. The smell, while bad was not too overpowering.

They continued for the next few hours, Ellie listened intently to Josh's directions. There was very little noise since the darkness and closed spaces made everything seem rather terrifying. The girls huddled together for safety, with Katie putting up a brave face since she was the unofficial matriarch of the group. The boys in the back, while showing signs of fear, tried to hide it as best as possible because they wanted to prove their masculinity and impress the girls. Boys will be boys after all.

Ellie took a few glances of Josh however. He was calm and collected, his face showing signs of fear but was well hidden under a guise of concentration. Ellie knew that look, he almost looked like what Joel would be as a young man. Despite herself Ellie couldn't help but blush occasionally. She knew he was off limits but still, a girl could have a small crush.

"Shit!" Josh cursed. "Spores, get your gas masks!" He shouted quietly, if that was possible. Ellie didn't really realize the spores since it didn't bother her too much,being immune and all.

Of course, only the heads of the County actually knew, no one else did. She didn't bother to bring a gas mask because she never considered it as being important for herself. At the same time though she didn't want her friends to know she was technically infected.

"Ellie, where is your mask?" Katie's voice was muffled from the black mask.

"I forgot it." Ellie quickly said. She needed to make sure they didn't find out she was infected because she didn't want to lose their friendships.

"Seriously?" Josh asked behind his own mask. "You're lucky we brought spares." He went through his bag and threw Ellie a gas mask. "How you lasted this long is beyond me." He said rudely, though Ellie knew it wasn't intentional. She probably scared her friends with this.

She had some trouble putting it on since she never used one before. Katie helped her out and they began walking again.

"I though you said this was clear?" Ellie asked, surprised at how her voice was muffled and echoed in her own head.

"It was when we checked." Josh said. "The spores are pretty thin for the amount of room, the Clicker probably just released them this morning." He brought the Russian gun up and kept it aiming in case they ran into a walking Clicker.

"Keep an eye out." Steve said from the back though his voice cracked slightly.

With blind bravery the group continued on, passing by the mutated body that released the spores. Leaving it be they continued on until they managed to reach the subway entrance.

The entrance was a pipe that lead directly into the subway tunnel, they had to crouch in order to get through it but they managed this easily.

"Wow, it's hot down here." Ellie said, tempted to roll her sleeves up but resisted that urge so she didn't expose her bite scar.

"Yea, that normally happens when I'm around." Josh said so seriously that Ellie almost took him seriously. Of course once that second of confusion dissipated everyone stared blankly at him.

"Let's just go..." Katie pushed him from behind with an exasperated sigh and the group continued walking.

As soon as they were sure the spores were gone they took off their masks and put them away, Ellie was told by the group to keep it until they got back. They had 2 extras besides that one so it would be ok for her to use for now.

The subway was kind of underwhelming, like many of the subways Ellie had to crawl through. It was humid and stuffy to the point where she actually wanted to go back into the sewers.

"So Ellie." Katie began.

"What's up?" Ellie asked, not turning around because she needed to focus in front of her.

"Why did you decide to come?" She asked. "Wouldn't you have been scared coming out here after spending a year traveling?" Ellie turned to look at her for a brief moment.

"Being out here..." Ellie struggled to find the words. "It has its ups and downs. It's scary sure but there are some moments that makes it all worth it." She answered honestly. "Why did you guys decide to leave anyway?" Ellie directed the question back to them.

"When there is a whole world out there that has been changing for 2 decades now, it's hard not to want to see it." Katie said. "My father is a Catholic Minister and my mother is an archeologist. Well, was since that job isn't on the market anymore. They met in Israel for different reasons. Him to visit the sight of Jesus's crucifixion and her to see some old artifacts in a museum. I suppose I wanted to follow in their footsteps as both a student of God and an explorer of the old ruins." She said.

"Someday there will be entire lessons and museums dedicated to the ruins of our world." Josh said. "We want to be the first to really begin studying and preserving the knowledge of the old world."

Ellie was shocked at their goals. It made her feel a bit ashamed because their goal seemed so noble.

"Wait..." Matt said as he put his hand around his ear. "Clickers." He said with a cracking voice.

"I don't hear anything." Jenn said in denial, hoping he was pulling a cruel prank.

"I have better hearing then you guys." He motioned to his glasses.

Soon the tunnels began to sing with the terrifying noise of Clickers. A few moans here and there also showed there were runners as well.

Everyone crouched low as they began to see Clickers walking around a corner and into the center of the tunnel. They couldn't move since the echolocation of the Clicker would spot their movement. As long as they stayed still the Clicker wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and furniture.

Everyone aimed their guns or put their melee weapons in front of them. Ellie kept the bow in front of her but did not draw it just yet since she didn't want to tire herself out by holding the string back.

CRUNCH!

Everyone held their breath as they turned around and saw that Elisa had stepped onto an old plastic bag filled with chips. Their heart stopped as they heard the scream come from the Clicker.

"RUN!" Ellie screamed as she took aim with her bow and shot an arrow right into its chest. The scream from the Clicker drew more of them to it and soon the tunnel in front of them had no less than 10 Clickers running at them.

Josh shouldered his Rifle and shot a Clicker in the skull which managed to take it out. Its head exploded in a fountain of gore which made it drop instantly. Hoping to conserve ammo he turned and tran with the rest of the group.

"DOOR!" Jenn yelled as they turned left into an old maintenance room. When everyone got inside they shut the door and used one of the rusted metal chairs to try and hold the Clickers back. The monsters started pounding at the door, nearly taking the chair off the wedge.

They all went to the back wall and had their weapons ready in case the monsters managed to make it inside. Luckily though the chair managed to hold them off but they all knew it wouldn't last long. Not only were Clickers strong but patient as well. Their bodies would break long before the door would but they would still get in.

The room was small and only had one exit. It had some supplies for cleaning and maintenance that have long since withered down.

"Where's Ellie?" Mat asked. Everyone looked around and saw no sign of the red haired girl.

* * *

><p>Ellie unfortunately made a mistake since she ran the wrong way into a second door. She quickly shut and locked the door before retreating through the small hallway and away from the danger.<p>

Ellie knew she lost everyone in the confusion but she could do very little now. All she had was a bow, a pocket knife, and a backpack filed with food and medical supplies. Clickers are already stronger than the average man and there was no way Ellie could match their ferocity, especially in numbers.

Ellie slowed down to a stop in order to try and catch her breath. She knew that they were most likely screwed but she refused to give up. She was not going to let what happened to Riley and Sam happen to them.

Ellie turned around, her flashlight illuminating the pitch black hallway... what the hell was that?

Ellie knew she wasn't imagining it. There was a shadow on a man on the wall. Ellie looked at the feet of the shadow but it didn't connect to anything. It was just a slightly blurry shadow that didn't connect to anyone.

As if sensing her presence, the shadow turned and faced her. Well, she guessed it did since she couldn't tell if she saw the front or back of the shadow.

The thing was very bulky, clearly a man but it looked like he was either wearing thick clothing or some kind of armor. His head looked too big for his body so she guessed he had some kind of helmet. He also was holding something that vaguely resembled a Rifle.

What the hell was she saying? She has clearly gone crazy and now she is hallucinating by seeing a disembodied shadow.

"bol'shoy, drugoy prizrak." Yea, she was crazy. Now it talked... though it sounded like he made that up.

He sounded bored and sighed as those made up words escaped his mouth. His voice also had an unnatural echo, probably because he wasn't real and Ellie was just seeing thing. Maybe she got caught and was being eaten right now, and the hallucination was simply her way of coping with the severe trauma right before dying.

Ellie slowly walked towards the shadow and discovered something interesting. It was reacting to her. The thing took a step back, which made little sense since it was just a 2D shadow on the wall, and aimed its weapon at her.

Ellie in turn aimed her bow, which seemed to catch the shadow off guard because it grunted in confusion.

"Oni nikogda ne reagiroval , kak eto ran'she." The thing said again, this time his voice filled with confusion.

"What the hell are you saying?" Ellie asked, despite how ridiculous this whole situation was.

"Razve eto prosto pogovorit' so mnoy ? Oni nikogda ne reagiruyut na drugiye." It was now talking to himself.

"What, can you not speak English?" She asked but the thing did not respond. Ellie could only see its dark outline but by his subtle movements she could tell he was pondering about something.

Before it could say anything, she heard Clickers to her left, right where she was running from. They managed to find her and all the noise they were making was not helping.

A Clicker ran at the sound the shadow was making but it did not move. The shadow just kept its gun aimed at the Clicker. Had her life not been in danger, Ellie would have rolled on the floor with laughter as the Clickers head caved in from slamming into the wall. The Shadow flinched but Ellie knew it was confusion, not fear.

"Razve chto veshch' bezhat' vo chto-to?" It mumbled.

However, Ellie did not laugh or acknowledge the funny moment or the shadows apparent confusion. She was to busy with the Clickers.

As she aimed her bow she was suddenly blinded by a bright white light. Her ears began to ring and she missed the shot completely. Her eyes burned from the intense brightness and despite her valiant effort to look at the incoming Clickers she could not.

The damn thing slammed into her but did not bite her, apparently it was just as blinded as she was. However, instead of the light it was the intense ringing sensation in her ears that blinded the Clicker.

Ellie fell back and slammed her head onto the concrete floor. She felt as if her tie that held her ponytail just forced its way through her skull. Nausea and dizziness consumed her senses and the urge to throw up was looking to win out over her other senses. Her eyes ached from the intense light and her ears were still ringing from whatever that was. She made a silent pray for help, this being a moment when her faith went back to believing in some kind of being. She hoped he was real and that he would save her but most of the time she cast aside such thoughts.

Ellie made a silent cry as she felt a Clicker fall to her chest, prepared for the worst and feeling extra sensitive around her neck. She knew this was the end because once a Clicker got you like this it was game over.

However, Ellie felt nothing. Just dull thuds in her chest and ears as if there was a gun going off. The deafness from the light still made hearing difficult but she was sure she heard the shots from Josh's gun. Additionally, the Clicker that fell on her did not move.

After some time her sight and hearing slowly came back to her and the nausea from the head injury began to fade. She still had a dull ache in her head but she could tell it wasn't so bad. It wasn't as bad a hit as when David threw her to the floor and they were knocked out.

As if by some kind of magical force the Clicker was removed from her chest, allowing her to breathe without the crushing weight. She was greatly relieved and in her dizzy state she thanked whatever saved her. Moments like this is why she always went back and forth between her faith instead of just ignoring it.

She then felt rough hands on her body. Had she been of sound mind she would have protested but in the daze and confusion she did not reject the feeling. It felt good, as if someone was giving her a spa treatment.

The hands gently took hold of her wrist and poked her neck. She also felt a head move very close to her mouth, to the point where she felt the tickle of someones ear on her lips, which kind of grossed her out.

She then felt the front of her shirt open after the buttons were undone. At this moment she was aware of what was going on because of the intrusion of privacy.

Had Ellie been sobered from the nausea she would have realized that this person was helping her and giving her first aid. Especially since her ribs under her breasts were bruised from Clicker hitting her and had a few minor cuts from the jagged fungus.

However, as a young girl when she woke up to having her shirt ripped open and a rough looking boy kneeling down on her while she was unconscious, especially since she was still dazed, she reacted as any girl would.

"FUCKING PERV!" Every Clicker in the subway was probably alerted to the yell. It took the boy off guard and he flinched as he looked at her. In his hesitation and confusion he did not register the fist that slammed right on his nose.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3 done. I'm really starting to enjoy this story.<p>

Please rate and review.


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